The overall feel reminds me of Neil Morris and Kerosene, and to a lesser extent Lord's Jester.

If I were to reduce Slumberhouse to a sound byte, it would be "the Amouage of indie perfumery"

These are really rich, to repeat myself. The Slumberhouse reputation is clearly well-deserved.

I'm starting to see a pattern of American "native" perfumery. It's basically like an olfactory version of jazz. There are elements borrowed from European and Middle Eastern perfumery, much as jazz borrowed from Europe and Africa. There is a rejection of rules that seems both unstructured and amateurish on the one hand, yet novel and ingenious on the other.

Grev is the most like "industry" perfumery. Since I'm on a mainstream/designer kick right now, that's the one that's most impressive to me at the moment. I think that Norne would have grabbed me hardest when I was discovering Neil Morris.

I agree that samples are the way to go with this house. Trying to decide on these scents by sniffing in a storefront would be worse than futile.

Re: Slumberhouse

Originally Posted by Redneck Perfumisto

I'm starting to see a pattern of American "native" perfumery. It's basically like an olfactory version of jazz. There are elements borrowed from European and Middle Eastern perfumery, much as jazz borrowed from Europe and Africa. There is a rejection of rules that seems both unstructured and amateurish on the one hand, yet novel and ingenious on the other.

EXACTLY. I haven't said much about these yet because I'm a little conflicted about them. I appreciate that they have seemingly thrown all the rules out the window and started from scratch. On the other hand, I miss a few of those rules...like 'should give some consideration to skin chemistry/humanity'.

Re: Slumberhouse

Originally Posted by SoGent

the hobby is a choice buddy, sounds like you just made one.

Coming from me, that is not a scathing criticism. I like weird. I just have to ask myself the question sometimes: how weird is too weird. An oily, brown stain is not a total dealbreaker, as far as I'm concerned.

With respect to the other rules that Slumberhouse are breaking, I think they're largely successful. Vikt, Grev, and Jeke are all on my short list.

Re: Slumberhouse

Unfortunately, my Slumberhouse sample vials arrived badly leaking all over the bag they were enclosed in so it was a real mess. But an initial smell of some of the caps made the word "rustic" pop into my head. These are aggressive, assertive anti-dandies. Some are almost medicinal. I suspect some of these would work best in the colder months when they can linger in the smell of smoke from a nearby fireplace. Although I can't completely tell from my samples whether this is absolutely the case, I think its pretty obvious these are scents on a mission -- to make a statement that will not be ignored or lost in a crowd.

Re: Slumberhouse

Originally Posted by Brian Chambers

Coming from me, that is not a scathing criticism. I like weird. I just have to ask myself the question sometimes: how weird is too weird.

i couldn't agree more mr. Chambers . . . . that's precisely how I feel about HdP Petroleum.
as for Slumberhouse, i understand the mixologist's penchant for clove but - with the exception of Sanaa - it doesn't really work. if i wanted the 'medicinal' vibe, i could find it for a lot less money. i say that completely respecting Josh's work. possibly, a3 or norne can be added to the 'keeper' list

Re: Slumberhouse

Originally Posted by Brian Chambers

EXACTLY. I haven't said much about these yet because I'm a little conflicted about them. I appreciate that they have seemingly thrown all the rules out the window and started from scratch. On the other hand, I miss a few of those rules...like 'should give some consideration to skin chemistry/humanity'.

It's certainly a fascinating genre. Like you, I'm quickly finding out which rules count for me and which rules don't.

If you haven't smelled it yet, you can now sniff Kerosene's R'oud Elements at MiN NY. Today I compared it to YSL M7 (2nd formulation, original packaging) on opposing wrists, and was so shocked by the similarity of the openings, I was ready to accuse Kerosene of pouring M7 into his hand-painted bottles. However, after the two scents settled down, they quickly diverged on numerous points. I won't say that R'oud Elements is better than M7 - "better" can be a pretty meaningless word - but I would heartily recommend that any lover of M7 should try R'oud Elements. My best short description of RE would now be "M7 Edition Orange EDP Intense".

The "texture" of R'oud Elements seems like some kind of crafty rule violation. The texture seems annoyingly "rough" at first, and such roughness has often been a hallmark of untrained perfumery to my nose. Industry perfumers almost seem compelled to sand down such things - at least in the past. But I think that Kerosene uses this feature brilliantly - it is clearly balanced at just the right level throughout the life of the fragrance, and gives it, as you have pointed out, tension. More recently, I've noticed some similar, purposefully roughened textures in industry frags. The industry is positively aggressive about understanding its markets, so no surprise in that. The guys and gals who compose for the American market understand us deeply.

Jeke - Take the wooden base of Rume, subtract some honey and add the metallic smell of fingers rubbed over an old weathered brass door knocker, then infuse the whole thing with a puff of magical smoke and you've got Jeke. Different. Nice. Strong.

Vikt - This feels the less gourmand of the resinous woods, and is likely the better for it. It´s the house vibe (which I enjoy and want to adopt in my fragrant lifestyle:-), but without the syrup. Perhaps my favorite.

Norne - All about pure sticky sap - pine needles, fir, blue spruce. A never-ending lot of freshly-cut Christmas trees (I used to work at one of these - and this, tree-hunters, it what I smelled like at the end of the day.) The only downfall - this natural scent feels reminiscent of synthetic recreations smelled elsewhere. Not sure if this is a criticism of Norne or a nod to how realistic some cleaning supplies (or scented candles) imitate piney woods. Norne may end op smelling the least-perfume and more air-freshener of the bunch. Still, my car could smell like this and I wouldn´t complain.

Baque - A special bonus to my sample pack, unlisted on the site. Quoted elsewhere: Baque is a honeyed tobacco leaf perfume built upon he leathery amber base of conifer resin and sweetened with labdanum, ambergris tincture, and benzoin. I find it soft. Maybe too soft. Supposedly intended for women, though it might be more wearable (by both sexes) than the men´s approach to tobacco, which is:

Miel - Wow. Darkly sweet molasses fragrance with tobacco, back tea, and something musky. I could enjoy this one the same way I do Tobacco Vanille. Meaning… A wonderful comfort scent for a night at home, but it might grow cloying to wear over time.

Overall…

While Baque and Miel are nice Tobacco-blends, I feel like Abdes Salaam´s Via del Profumo offerings (with which I sense similarities in the overall spectrum of the Slumberhouse pallet) works with a superior natural leaf tobacco note.

On the flip side, I greatly prefer the take on WOODS by Slumberhouse. Vikt, Rume, and Jeke are all winners and distinct enough to incite different vibes and target different seasons. Though I've never been there, it's seems fit that these pungent and forest-inspired scents could only be so beautifully realized in the Pacific Northwest. And Grev, at least to my nose, is a unique herbal cologne unlike any in my wardrobe. As for pricing, no complaints for the artistry created by Josh et. al - worth every penny for any of these seductive potions. A house/nose to watch.

Re: Slumberhouse

I got my samples last night and I am completely taken by Baque. This is a scent from my childhood, the pipe tobacco my uncles used to smoke during the holidays. I can get completely lost in this fragrance. If it does indeed come out in 50ml soon, I will be the first in line.

Re: Slumberhouse

Originally Posted by Brian Chambers

I was surprised not to find grapefruit in the notes for Grev. Does anyone smell it? Is one of the ingredients just grapefruit-like?

My sample of Grev is strongly unbalanced on the cloves. I almost couldn't smell anything else but from what I've understood from a recent chat with Josh, it's that he made several batches of it with different "ingredients"...here's an excerpt from that e-mail (no grapefruit mentioned)...

"Earlier this year I made a large batch of it (Grev) and really amped up the clove (I made the mistake of going with clove essential oil instead of clove bud absolute, which is a pitch black gummy resin that has aspects of what I would consider a musky/eggnog/spice -- I wish I had used the latter instead of the former in hindsight). A lot of times clove has a tendency to "settle" and tame down during the aging process of a perfume but this particular batch of Grev did not exhibit that mellowing characteristic. I do admit I'm quite a fan of clove but I know for many others it can conjure images of dental offices, clove cigarettes, baking hams, etc. My newest Grev more closely resembles the original recipe which debuted mid 2010 and is far spicier, a kind of masculine potpourri with a slight tinge of red apple skin. It has always been my slowest seller to be honest, but I enjoy it regardless.

Re: Slumberhouse

I received my sample set today, Grev, Vikt, Jeke, Norne, Rume and Sana.

Of these, I found Rume and Norne to be the standouts (Sana reminded me of Fumerie Turque, for some reason). Norne is a fine, very intense woody scent, and Rume has that quirky myrrhe thing going on, mixed with hay, which seems quite inspired (the result seems to be a bit of apple). Rume would be my choice here. I might be making a purchase of a mini.

Maximum respect to the house and its narrative, but otherwise nothing here would threaten to oust the dark fragrances in my (very limited) wardrobe.

Re: Slumberhouse

Wearing Vikt for the first time today, I truly admire its basic structure of oud, styrax, and labdanum. A little sweet and very rich and resinous without thickness -- a delicious and cohesive accord. The ravensara up top is a good way to open the theme. This is a basic statement and it does it really, really well. I'm going to try layering it with Grev I think.

Re: Slumberhouse

Originally Posted by alfarom

My sample of Grev is strongly unbalanced on the cloves. I almost couldn't smell anything else but from what I've understood from a recent chat with Josh, it's that he made several batches of it with different "ingredients"..

My sample of Grev has never quite felt like some of the descriptions of it I've read here, and perhaps this is the explanation. High-powered, and mega-fir sappy, like tromping around in green Christmas-tree branches. And then some clove.

Other people's impressions of Grev have come across as much more refined that the sample I have. I wear my sample cross-country skiing, out in the woods, when the temps are well below freezing, and it seems suited to that.

Re: Slumberhouse

Originally Posted by Birdboy48

My sample of Grev has never quite felt like some of the descriptions of it I've read here, and perhaps this is the explanation. High-powered, and mega-fir sappy, like tromping around in green Christmas-tree branches. And then some clove.

Other people's impressions of Grev have come across as much more refined that the sample I have. I wear my sample cross-country skiing, out in the woods, when the temps are well below freezing, and it seems suited to that.

I think I got the refined stuff.

Notice how easy we're going on the batch variation, when the perfumer is up-front about the intentional nature of it? Not sure how well that idea scales, but at least at this level, it's not a sin.

Originally Posted by PuddleMonkey

so who else got a surprise package of new samples from Slumber today?

My guess is that you're closest. I'll bet that previous bottle-buyers at greater distances are in for a treat!

Re: Slumberhouse

Wow. That's very cool. I am in Europe, but have placed two orders directly through the slumberhouse site in the past 6 months. Sure hope he shows some euro-love to those far and away (and in a financial crisis).

This perfume contains notes of pear, cognac, chamomile, aglaia, olive, zdravets, massoia bark and calamus and has been my main focus for many months now. I am incredibly pleased with the final product and think it will serve as a perfect companion to the spring and summer months.

I do also want to mention that this will be the final week I will be accepting worldwide orders. Over the last year I have been met an increasing number of difficulties in shipping abroad, and while I'm proud to say that everyone who has ever placed an order from Slumberhouse has received their items, there have been instances where the post offices in certain countries prove rather difficult and sometimes it requires repeatedly sending the same order multiple times before the client actually receives it. Brazil, Russia, Malaysia and a few other places have proven especially difficult. While I absolutely regret having to limit where Slumberhouse can ship, as a small perfumer it is not cost effective to continue to offer shipping abroad. It is my hope that I can spend the next few months engaging with shops & boutiques in Europe, South America, Scandinavia, the Middle East & abroad to supply these creations for everyone, however I do not know how long arranging this will take so in the meantime I wanted to offer one more week of worldwide shipping so that nobody was caught off guard. I apologize for the short notice. June 5th will be the last day for worldwide shipping, after that Slumberhouse will only ship to US/Canadian addresses.

Also, we created a Spring exclusive for Indiescents called Baque, which is a tobacco, davana flower, straw, apricot and vanilla fragrance and has been quite well received. Should you place an order directly from our site and wish to also order Baque we can ship direct as well, simply email request an invoice.

Finally, last week I randomly shipped out about 300 packets containing samples of Pear+Olive, Tunis Mills & Iska. I only wish I could've sent them to everyone who has ever placed an order but, alas, 300 packs shipped worldwide proved to be about the maximum I could handle. Iska, a scent composed with notes of saffron, gin and suede, can be ordered in two sizes: 15ml ($45) and 50ml ($115), email for invoice. Tunis Mills is a preview of one of the upcoming autumn releases.

Thank you very much for reading & I hope everyone is having a memorable spring thus far.

Re: Slumberhouse

Aglaia!! Aka Chinese Perfume Tree. I am very interested now. I wonder if they used the seeds or flowers. SculptureOfSoul has some extract or other and claims he smells it in the rich green heart of Bond Harrods Oud.

Re: Slumberhouse

Wearing my sample of Baque today.

Very much in the Slumberhouse style, which means yet another large ( somewhat like Brusse, more of which is on the way for Fall, as I understand) and impressive offering from this continually interesting American indie house.

Josh's more interesting things continue to exist off in their own realm, and will probably push the limits of many people's sensibilities. Which is a good thing for the frag world in general, to my mind.

Saw his new bottles when I was in Portland. Quite nice, but I suspect some of us will remember with some fondness his hand-lettered ones, with the silver Sharpie.

Edit :

Was still able to smell Bauqe on my wrist, one bath, and 24 hours later.

Re: Slumberhouse

. TunisMills is still a work in progress...no note list given. A scent memory of the area his grandparents lived.

Tried Tunis Mills today, and what a shock this afternoon when I read the above comment.

When I was a child ( which was a long long time ago) my parents used to drop me off to stay with my grandmother for a few days. She had been....quite the woman in her day : spent time in Wyoming on a ranch in about 1905, and had done the "Grand Tour" of Europe and the Middle East in 1911. I still have her sterling silver trophy cup for "Winner : Iowa State Women's Golf Championship, 1904".

When I would visit (in the mid-1950s) she would often bring out this two part incense burner, that I suspect she had gotten in her youthful travels to "The East"...meaning Egypt and the Holy Land.

When I wore Tunis Mills today, it smelled exactly like whatever those little incense cones were that she would burn in that thing when I was a child.

Talk about evocative : its' been over 50 years since I had those memories.

Re: Slumberhouse

I'm very interested to hear more thoughts on these new ones, especially Pear + Olive.

Also, how do people feel about the new 50ml bottles vs. the old cube ones? The Pear + Olive hand etched glass bottle looks great, IMO. At first I was sad to see the cube bottles go, but I'm growing to like the new ones.

Re: Slumberhouse

Originally Posted by loki8

I'm very interested to hear more thoughts on these new ones, especially Pear + Olive.

Also, how do people feel about the new 50ml bottles vs. the old cube ones? The Pear + Olive hand etched glass bottle looks great, IMO. At first I was sad to see the cube bottles go, but I'm growing to like the new ones.

I liked the cube bottles, too, but Josh was unable to get more of them. I think his supplier stopped making them.

Re: Slumberhouse

Just got my sample pack. Jeke, Iska, Sana, Pear & Olive, Rume, Vikt, Baque, Grev, & Norne. I opened Jeke and Vikt first because those were the two I was most curious about. I figured I would try these tonight, and work my way through the rest in the next week or so. These smelled so good, I had to try them all in rapid succession. All I can say right now is WOW! I will post my thoughts on each one after I have had time to sample individually, but I can say for sure that several full bottle purchases are coming in the near future.

Incredible to get so many winners in the same sample pack. And each one is so different. Amazing stuff.

Re: Slumberhouse

I got my package of 10 (!) samples yesterday and (like many of you) I was very impressed. It was really nice to find an independent perfumer in the US that makes me excited. I'm still getting my brain around these, but I thought I'd post a few initial reactions. My favorite so far is Jeke. I feel like I'm wearing Piper Nigrum while hiking in the forrest. Norne is also very woodsy and is currently my second favorite. It's very natural and extremely easy to wear. Grev is very interesting and is my partner's favorite of them all. It actually does smell like a traditional men's cologne, but fragmented and put back together in a different way, if that makes sense. It's also a bit trippy smelling. I don't get the clove overload that some have complained about. It's interesting that Josh says this is his worst seller since we've generally responded well to it on this thread. Rume is very, very strong and really does smell more like a place than a perfume. There's a place called Garden Ridge that sells planters, porch furniture, potpourri, etc. and that's what it reminds both me and my partner of. It's very well-made, but I'd never wear it as a perfume. I can still smell it on my arm from 17 hours ago! Sana is an uber-feminine floral. Pear + Olive will appeal to many people, but it just smells like a really nice shampoo to me. Baque is excellent. It would fit in very well in the Serge Lutens line. The others (Vikt, Eki, iska) haven't made enough of an impression on me yet. I recall responding positively to Vikt when I first put it on, but my interest in some others caused me to forget about it. Bottom line so far: I can see this house becoming one that I watch pretty closely. I'm definitely going for a bottle of Jeke. I'm just trying to decide whether to go for a bottle of either Norne or Grev as well. I also want to see if I can get my hands on a sample of Tunis Mills. I'll be interested to hear more comments on that one.

Re: Slumberhouse

Originally Posted by PalmBeach

Where did everyone get their sample pack. I see on the Slumberhouse website, only shows as 5 fragrances, not 10 as noted in a couple of posts.

I just ordered the 5-sample pack but he sent me 10 samples. It sounds like he commonly throws in a bit extra. I was surprised to get 10 instead of 5, though! I doubt he always does that. It was smart on his part, though, since I've already purchased a bottle from the samples I got and will probably consider a second at some point. I don't know why some small perfumers make it so difficult for people to sample their products. There's some independent perfumer in Canada, whose name I luckily don't recall, who e-mailed back after I asked about samples, saying that he doesn't sell any, and that they can only be tried in his shop in Canada. Right, dude. Good luck with your business there. I hope you have a trust fund. My advice is just to go ahead and order the 5 sample pack and see what arrives.

Re: Slumberhouse

Josh is KILLING IT. I knew when I got my first set of samples--though I wasn't totally in love with them--that sublime things would begin coming from Slumberhouse.

Well, here they are.

I'm finding Pear & Olive to be gorgeous. Just frakkin gorgeous. I find it so impressive that the same person who made Norne, which was so brazen and bracing, has delivered this hushed study in tenderness. This is a perfect pear. And I don't mean an exact facsimile of one. But abstractly, the subtlety of the flavor, the softness of the flesh, the savory edge of the skin. I am smiling so big right now.

Re: Slumberhouse

I stopped by a boutique yesterday that carries fragrances by our local perfumer Slumberhouse and put a single dab of Pear + Olive on my wrist...whoa! This one is delicious and dense like most fragrances from the house and yet it is airy and very wearable in warm weather. Never smelled anything like this one. May be my next full bottle!

- - - Updated - - -

I sampled Pear + Olive again yesterday and again, I really enjoyed this one. So much so that I just ordered a bottle from Parfum1. They have a tiny sale going on and got just 10% off, but every little bit helps. If you get a chance to sample this one, you really should.

Re: Slumberhouse

Hoping to get my hands on some Tunis Millis soon! Also, I wish I could have sampled the delights of Ore. However, I'll have to settle with the perfectly awesome Pear + Olive for this summer along with Vikt for fall and Rume for Winter. I really can't wait to see what artistic creations Slumberhouse does come up with next. It's quite exciting to see a passionate perfumier in the States coming up with such magnificent fragrances. Additionally, Josh is a great guy and it is wonderful to see such high regards on BN

- - - Updated - - -

Talk about scent memory with Slumberhouse. Baque reminds me of the exact smell of the Maker's Mark distillery just outside Louisville. When I put it on this morning, I was instantly transformed back to the Black buildings, wooden barrels, whiskey and smell of the woods and outdoors.

Re: Slumberhouse

First, I'm not big on layering my fragrances. However, when I was going through testing of my Slumberhouse Sample Vials I did cross-breed Jeke and Baque. The result is a really nice wood/smoky/honey/whiskey/resin fragrance that would be perfect for cooler fall weather.

If you're interested in layering and a fan of Slumberhouse, give this a try. I'd like to know your thoughts as well!

Re: Slumberhouse

I recently sent Josh an email asking about the release of Tunis Mills and received a very kind reply today. He said that Tunis Mills has been released under the name, Sova - which I believe was one of his first releases on Etsy. (This link gives a really good interview with Josh.) Josh also stated that he'd sent a sample of Sova which should arrive next week.

So tonight checking my email, I find a link to Sova sent from my Slumberhouse subscription.

Sova (formerly known as Tunis Mills) is now available for sale from Slumberhouse.

“interpretation is the revenge of the intellect upon art.” - Susan Sontag